Knife rack



P 6, 1932- R. H. FRIED 1,876,284

KNIFE'RACK Filed Oct. 15, 1930 Arnie/um Patented Sept. 6, 1932 PATENT OFFICE nrcrmnn n. FRIED, or rrrrsnuaen, PENNSYLVANIA KNIFE RACK Application filed October 15, 1930. Serial 1%. 489,000.

This invention relates to knife-racks, and more in particular to knife-racks intended for butcher-shops, meat packing houses, and the like.

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a knife-rack, especially intended to be used in conjunction with a meat-block or meat working-bench, having means for automatically cleaning the blades of the knives ormeat cleavers inserted therein. Another object of this invention is to provide a knife-rack having means to facilitate the insertion therein of knives, cleavers, etc. Yet another object is the provision of a 18 knife-rack which may be easily applied to or removed from a meat-block or meat working bench, which is made of non-'corrodible material and which may be easily cleaned.

Additional features and advantages of this invention will appear in the course of the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, and in which identical parts in the various views have been identified by the same reference numerals.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is an isometric view showing a knife-rack of my invention mounted at the side of a butchers meat-block.

- Fig. 2 is a fragmentary isometric view of one part of the housing of the knife-rack, a portion being broken away, to better show some of the interior structural features.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the preferred embodiment of my invention. Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. Fig. 5 is an isometricview of one of the cleaning brushes used in the knife-rack.

Fig. 6 shows one of the special screws supporting the knife-rack,

Fig. 7 is an end view of Fig. 6. Reference being had to the drawing, the knife-rack comprises'the following princione end of the housing.

Eal parts: a sheet metal housing 1, a set of rushes 2 and the supporting screws 3 whereby the knife-rack is fastened to a meat-block, etc.

The housing consists of the inner housing half '1 and the outer housing-half 1*, both halves having the same shape and dimensions, so that they may be formed by the same set of forming tools. Each half comprises a vertical wall section 4 provided at the top with an inwardly and downwardly directed flange 5 including the rounded bend '6 and the inclined straight portion ,7 terminating at the bottom with a short lip 8, substantially parallel with the wall.

The lower end of said wall is also provided with an inwardly and downwardly directed flange 9 comprising the inclined straight portion 10 and a short lip 11 parallel with the wall 4 and substantially in the same plane as the lip 8. Both housing-halves are held in spaced parallel relation by means of bolts- 12 and spacer blocks 13 inserted between the juxtaposed lips 8 and 11. The housing and all metal parts are preferably made of stainless steel, Monel metal, nickel or other metals unaffected by water or fatty acids.

Within the housing are mounted longitudinally the cleaning brushes 2 for the knifeblades'. These brushes are held resiliently in. the housing by means of clamp-fingers 14 secured to the walls of the housing-halves in. any desired manner or, preferably, struck directly therefrom, as suggested in the drawing. The clamp-fingers engage the narrow sides of the backs 15 of the brushes and in said backs are preferably provided shallow recesses 16 into which the clamp-fingers may snap when the brushes are pushed in from As shown in Fig. 4, especially, the bristles or fibers of the two cleaning brushes are placed face to face and their ends overlap I sides wiped clean, regardless of the thickness of said blade.

If desired, the cleaning of the blade may be effected by other means than brushes, such, for instance, by means of felt or leather pads; but I prefer to use brushes because of their greater efliciency and the elasticity of the bristles which insures a better engagement of the variably thick blades.

The purpose of making the upper flanges 5 of the housing downwardly inclined is to facilitate the insertion of the knife-blades in the open slot 17'formed between the juxtaposed lips 8; the width of said slot being determined by the thickness of the spacerblocks 13. On account of the relative narrowness of said slot, a butcher would have to exertgreat care and waste time to insert a knife-blade into the housing, were it not for the sloping sides 7 along which the blade can slide into the slot.

The slot 17 may be of uniform width throughout, but it is preferred to provide therein various enlargements shaped and dimensioned to accommodate the lower parts of the handles of the implements inserted in the rack, so that the blades may be engaged by the bristles of the brushes throughout their length. These enlargements are obtained by forming in both flanges 5 recesses,

such as shown at 18, 19 and 20. The first circular recess is intended for a-shapeningsteel 21; the oblong recesses 19 for ordinary knives 22 and the larger recess 20 for a meat cleaver 23.

The knife-rack is removably mounted at one side of a meat-block 24, for instance, by means of a suitable number of screws 3 comprising each a threaded shank 25 and a head 26 in which is cut a circumferential groove 27 which is engaged by the narrow portion of its corresponding key-slot 28, provided in the wall portion of the inner housing-half 1. The inside portions 26 of the screwheads act as spacers for the knife-rack and prevent any loose particles of meat or bones from collecting between the former and the meat-block.

In the drawing, both ends of the kniferack are shown open' to enable the direct introduction or removal, for the purpose of cleaning or renewing the brushes 2. However, ifdesired, said ends may be closed by removable caps or covers (not shown) of any desired and conventional construction.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my invention can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1

1. In a rack for knives, a housing comprising two housing-halves in spaced parallel relation; brushes positioned in the housing-.

brushes to their respective housing-halves;

the backs of said brushes having recesses adapted for snapengagement by said securing means.

2. Ina rack for knives, a housing comprising two hOusing-halVes; means to hold said halves in spaced parallel relation; brushes positioned in the housing-halves and having their bristles in partly overlapping juxtaposed relation to simultaneously engage the sides of the blades of said knives; re-

silient means to removably secure the brushes to their respective housing-halves; the backs of said brushes having recesses adapted for snap engagement by said securing means.

3. In a rack for knives, a housing'comprising two substantially identical halves; means to hold said halves in parallel relation to produce therebetween a longitudinal slot adapted to be engaged by the blades of said knives; brushes positioned in the housing- 00 halves and having their bristles in partly overlapping juxtaposed relation to simultaneously engage the sides of said blades; said slot having enlarged portions adapted to accommodate the'handles of said knives.

4. In a rack for knives, a housing comprising two substantially identical halves; means to hold said halves in parallel relation to produce therebetween a longitudinal slot adapted to be engaged by the blades of said knives, said slothaving also enlarged portions to accommodate the handles of said knives; means to guide the knives into said slot, and brushes positioned in the housinghalves and having their bristles in partly overlapping juxtaposed relation to simultaneously engage the sides of said knifeblades.

5. In a rack for knives, a housing consisting of two. substantially identical halves of 1 channel-like cross-section each comprising a vertical wall and inwardly and downwardly directed top and bottom flanges; means to hold said halves in parallel relation to produce between said top flanges a longitudinal slot adapted to be engaged by the blades of said knives; said slot having enlarged portions to accommodate the handles of said knives, and brushes positioned in the housing halves and having their bristles in juxta- 12C posed relation to simultaneously engage the sides of said knife-blades.

6. Ina rack for knives, a housing consisting of, two substantially identical halves of channel-like cross-section each comprising a vertical 'wall and inwardly and downwardly directed top and bottom flanges; means to hold said halves in parallel relation to produce between said top and bottom flanges "longitudinal slots adapted to be engaged by the blades of said knives; the slot between the top flanges having enlarged portions to accommodate the handles of said knives and the slot between the lower flanges being of substantially uniform width; and brushes positioned in the housing-halves and having their bristles in juxtaposed relation to simultaneously engage the sides of said knifeblades.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

- RICHARD H. FRIED. 

